This news item expired on Wednesday, November 13, 2019 so the information below could be outdated or incorrect.
Buncombe County is excited to announce it will be investing $100,000 in 20 different community-based initiatives through our Tipping Point Grants. It was an extremely competitive process that saw 60 applicants competing for the 20 available $5,000 grants. The process was unique in the fact a Community Review Board met over a three-week period to discuss and analyze the merits of each application. “It’s important for the community to be involved because it shows a ‘sense of we’ and helps support the community based on needs, ideas, and programs that people have developed to increase resiliency,” says Community Development Specialist Rasheeda McDaniels.
The spirit of the Tipping Point Grants is to support innovative programming that makes a difference in everyday life. “We live in a complex society, and supporting emergent strategies can help, change, and shape our community,” notes McDaniels. Now in its third cycle, the Tipping Point Grants received a diverse number of applications showing the importance of how small projects can truly be a catalyst for change on a large scale.
See the below PDF for the list of the 20 groups and individuals that are recipients of the 2018 Tipping Point Grants.
Community Review Group: Buncombe County extends our gratitude to the following community members for volunteering as part of the Tipping Point Grant Review Team: Amanda Bryant, Gerri Delaney, Jonathon Knight, Ashley Lasher, Brenda Mills, Kim Marmon-Saxe, Nikita Smart, and Amanda Vollrath. This team represents a diverse mix of community perspectives. Each member volunteered approximately 20 hours of time to review grant applications, participated in deep discussions about the needs in our community, and remained committed throughout the grant review process. Applications were reviewed over a period of three weeks, and identified conflicts of interest were recused.
What are Tipping Point Grants? These are small grants to help amplify community efforts. The grants will be awarded at $5,000 per project. These mini-grants are meant to either amplify what is already happening or allow community residents to develop a local project aimed at creating a pathway to greater resiliency in our community - actions that will stack positive factors such as stronger connection, communication, and development of our community leaders while offloading negative factors like isolation, hopelessness, and violence.
Who is eligible? These grants are targeted to ordinary citizens and neighbors. Applications must be from individuals or groups that have come together around a common vision. Previous recipients were not eligible to reapply for a continuation or expansion of a project. Rather, these funds are meant to build capacity, not sustain efforts. These funds are not targeted to agencies as there are other avenues for nonprofits to apply for funding, such as Buncombe County’s annual Strategic Partnership Grants.
Contact: For more information about Tipping Point Grants and Buncombe County’s work with community partners, visit BuncombeCounty.org/Community-Investment or contact Rasheeda McDaniels, Community Development Specialist at Rasheeda.McDaniels@buncombecounty.org or (828)-250-4102.